The demand for small but better than your TV audio is still going strong, even though soundbars have been around for a few years now.

From the cheapies found at your local discount department stores through to the super expensive all-in-one single sound solution.

JBL have taken the lower pricing tier but added the function of the more expensive units and raised the bar once again incorporating the superior quality from Harmon in to their 5.0 MultiBeam.

To sum up what JBL’s 5.0 MultiBeam is – it is a singular soundbar. No external sub needed as the 5.0 MultiBeam has both directional 3D audio with subs built-in.

The 5.0 MultiBeam will optimize itself to your room, calibrating itself to ensure you get the optimal audio possible.

Within a closed room small to mid sized (will suit most living rooms) you’re going to get that surround-like audio for your video gaming marathons through to a near full cinema experience.

It does this via audio projection, using Virtual Dolby Atmos. Sound literally bounces from each corner of your room providing that spacious, 3D solution.

And it’s not quiet. Rock the neighbourhood with up to 92 dBA power.

For myself, I have a full 7.2 home audio set up. I’ve had it for quite a few years now and it’s still in use every day for music, series streaming and of course video gaming.

To swap out from this to a soundbar I always expect the experience to be degraded.

In truth – it really wasn’t with the 5.0 MultiBeam.

From the deep growl of bass to the environmental sounds and the frontal audio, one mid-sized soundbar managed to replace my nine speaker setup.

If there was any difference from series and movie streaming to gaming, it was absolutely minimal. Music streaming sounded better through the JBL 5.0 MultiBeam than through my existing home setup.

Sync with the JBL app or use the supplied full function remote. The 5.0 MultiBeam is also smart assistant friendly.

Pair it up with Google Assistant or Alexa and start playing music from the 5.0 MultiBeam by voice, not too mention all of the other functions that a smart assistant can offer.

The 5.0 MultiBeam also has Chromecast, full 4K HD passthrough and Airplay as well as Multi Room Music (Alexa).

On board you have one USB socket (play media from USB), two HDMI’s for pass through, ethernet for wired LAN / WAN and an Optical port.

The JBL 5.0 Multibeam is currently THE home solution to a larger, space hogging home cinema kit, priced at only a fraction of a multi speaker and amp would cost.

The post JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Take the boom with you.

Harman Kardon’s newly released Citation speakers are both bluetooth and wireless connecting for both in-home and on the go.

The Citation 200 is a full HD 360 degree speaker, resembling a small subwoofer and although a bit weighty at almost 3 kg is a pick up and go.

There are two parts to the Citation 200; the main speaker and its base – and I really love what Harmon Kardon have done here.

Instant charge when placed on to its charging pad – which charges wirelessly (unlike similar speakers that still require a full plug in for a juice up). That said if you’re out and don’t have the charge base with you you can power up with a USB-C cable.

A full charge is going to get you up to 8 hours – given the power that this 360 speaker has that’s not bad – but the charge time is a killer, around 3 hours from empty to full.

Taking the Citation 200 out of the home it exceeded its purported lifespan of 8 hours on battery.

In my tests I paired to both Android (10) and iOS (Apple). Whether in or out of the home off it’s charging base I typically experienced 9 to 11 hours at mid volume music streaming after a full overnight charge.

If you’re looking for something that’s going to rock that beach party, or rattle the walls in your bedroom this is definitely it.

Outputting at 50 watts RMS at 80dB whether in an open wide space or within a room the Citation 200 is one of the highest performing portable speakers I’ve tested so far.

But being a booming wireless speaker isn’t everything that the Citation 200 has – it is also a smart speaker, as we saw with Harman Kardon’s Citation Oasis.

Within your home you can set up Google Assistant which is the built in A.I. and if you have more than one of the Citation speaker series in your home you can pair them up.

The Citation 200 is water resistant -but not waterproof. It can handle a few splashes here and there, but drop it in the pool and it’s all over.

A damn fine audio solution to the summer downunder, the Citation 200 ticks all of the boxes you would expect and has that decent battery life that’s going to keep you rocking out from dawn to dusk.

The post Harman Kardon Citation 200 Speaker Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Harman Kardon sure know a thing or two when it comes to superb audio.

They should do, as they’ve been the elite top shelf brand for decades and first producing audio gear 65 years ago.

Now they’re expanding their smart audio range with their new citation series.

STG received two of their smart speakers in our office, the first one being the Oasis.

Resembling an old school alarm clock the small form factor sized Oasis is a one stop device for all your bedside needs.

Firstly it comes with Google Assistant built in and Apple AirPlay.

Once you set the speaker up in your home and connect it to your WiFi you’ll need the Google Home app to get the smart stuff happening.

In previous devices a year or two back Harman Kardon integrated Amazon’s Alexa, however finding that pretty much everyone uses Google and / or has a Google account they have made the move.

Once you’re good to go in your Google setup you can begin to talk away to the Oasis and control your audio (and other smart home devices if added in to your Google Home).

Being a bluetooth speaker the Apple AirPlay enables you to boom out your personal or streamed playlists from your iOS device.

Connection on both wireless and bluetooth is flawless.

But the Citation Oasis still has more to offer.

A wireless charger on the top of the Oasis will see you right for a full nights charge up.

The ports at the back enable another charge up of a device via USB and there’s even a built-in radio with the antennae socket there aswell as the tried and true 3.5mm port.

The grey coloured mesh and plastic finish should seamlessly fit in to anyones existing decor and the Oasis can belt out the sound that’s for sure.

While the dual speakers come in at 6w you’d believe that they are ten times that power.

The Oasis can also be paired with any other Harman Kardon Citation speakers, so if you get yourself a few of the smart speakers from the Citation series, link them up and have music streaming simultaneously in every room.

As for the Oasis as a standalone it is one superb bedside buddy, or wherever in the home you decide to place it.

It’s Harman Kardon’s professional audio together with A.I. smarts.

The post Harman Kardon Citation Oasis Smart Speaker Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Lenovo go large with their entry in to smart homes.

At the same time of releasing the Lenovo Smart Clock the PC and laptop producer have also released a big and bold 7 inch (1024 x 600) desk or table top Google Assistant smart display.

Connecting up to your home WiFi Google Assistant is automatically good to go and integrate with any other smart home devices you may already have via the Google Home app.

Unlike the Smart Clock the Smart Display 7 is Chrome Cast ready and being that it has this large touch screen can play the likes of YouTube from your Android based smartdevice.

Receiving a unit to review I first placed by my bedside where I was able to stream from all manner of media apps aswell as, of course, Google Movies from the Android phone.

However the Lenovo Smart Display 7 is not necessarily an oversized bedside clock.

Place one in the kitchen and get recipes from Google search, or better yet watch how to’s on YouTube.

Make video calls with Google Duo and the Smart Display 7’s 2MP wide angle front camera – this was something I was keen to test.

For those that have an Android smartphone they are likely to have the Google Duo app within the Google suite. Finding any of my friends that use it though was tricky.

Nonetheless – after a bit of coaxing of friends – test video calls were underway.

The Lenovo Smart Display 7 is powered by a low to mid range mobile processor, MediaTek 8167S crunching data at 1.5 GHz with 2GB RAM to ensure that the Android Things operating system doesn’t choke if you request too many things at once.

There’s a few toggle buttons on the Smart Display 7. Close the camera lens, mute the mic and adjust volume.

The Smart Display 7 will also stream your Spotify or Google Music and has a better sounding output than that of the Smart Clock we reviewed.

And, much like Lenovo’s Smart Clock, the Smart Display 7 has an eco-friendly grey hemp made mesh to it’s front to aesthetically integrate in to your home to hide in plain sight.

The Lenovo Smart Display 7 is a handy unit to have around.

Forgetful? No worries, the Smart Display 7 will remind you of your appointments – it will give you real time traffic and weather updates in the mornings and with the larger screen is easier to view the info from across the room.

Priced at just a bit over $200 NZD it’s an excellent addition to any already setup smart home – or a valid investment if you’re smart’ing your home for the first time.

The post Lenovo Smart Display 7 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Lenovo have gone smart.

Known for their PC and gaming brand; Legion the desktop and laptop manufacturer is entering the smart home realm with a lineup of Google Assistant based displays.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is exactly it’s namesake.

Smaller but similar in design to Amazon’s Alexa Echo Show range the Lenovo Smart Clock has grey hemp made casing to make it more environmentally and in-home aesthetic friendly.

The Smart Clock requires your home’s WiFi and after a bit of a set up your Google account is good to go for verbal commands.

‘Hey, Google, what’s the traffic like?’ before your morning commute or ‘Hey, Google, what’s the weather today?’ so you don’t get short without an umbrella.

It’s the Google that you use on your PC, on your android smartphone, now in your home.

The Lenovo Smart Clock will also integrate and work with your other smart home devices. This is setup within the Google Home app.

For the most part Google can usually find other smart devices in your home automatically and will prompt if you want to connect with them or not.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is a perfect bedside alarm clock.

Featuring a builtin 3 watt speaker connecting to your Spotify will at a simple spoken command start playing music – albeit not the most high quality booming sound. But the Smart Clock is not designed to be a wireless sound system, yet you can use it as one via Bluetooth connection.

If you prefer to use Google Music as your streaming service and digital music purchases then that’s already there for you within your Google account settings.

With a very chunky wide bezel the 4 inch touch screen is adaptive to environment and simple enough with an easy to use swipe to hide or display menu with a few clock faces to suit your tastes.

On the top are two toggle buttons for volume and for privacy a slider switch to mute the mic.

You can also connect up your smart security cameras, if you have them, and watch the goings on in or outside your home from the comfort of your bed, or wherever you prefer to place the Smart Clock.

I gave this a go with my Arlo cameras in my home and my RING Video Doorbell 3. I had mixed results.

The Video Doorbell was fine, it worked as expected however Arlo was temperamental, with Google struggling to connect to the camera hub.

The likes of visual media streaming such as Netflix, YouTube and others will not work on the Lenovo Smart Clock.

But that’s not all the Lenovo Smart Clock will also charge up your smartphone. Something missing from other smart home displays. The USB socket in the back of the unit enables anything that is USB chargeable to power up.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is a cost effective entry for someone starting to put together a smart home and an all-in-one simplistic device that being built with Google gives you the entire digital world at your voice command.

It has one job, be a Smart Clock, and it does it real well.

The post Lenovo Smart Clock Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Lenovo has confirmed the availability of the Lenovo Smart Display with the Google Assistant in New Zealand. Available in two screen sizes 7” and 10” designed to fit your perfect living space. With a vibrant HD touchscreen display and wrapped in a minimalist, modern design, the Lenovo Smart Display is the ideal home companion for busy families who need easy-to-use, time-saving technology.

From controlling the home and entertaining the family with brilliant sound and stunning quality visuals from popular services like YouTube, the Lenovo Smart Display is the ideal device for any modern home and for all busy households.

With its bright HD screen, you can see the information you need at a glance, like your calendar, reminders, and shopping list. The Smart Display makes multi-tasking a breeze, bringing you step-by-step recipe instructions, helpful answers powered by Google Search and YouTube, and a single hub to control your smart home devices – all hands-free.

Stay connected with family and friends with video calling on Google Duo. A new video conferencing feature Google Meet will be available on Lenovo Smart Display 10, you will be able to start a video call with multiple contacts by asking your Assistant to “make a group call on Duo” or “make a group call on Meet” or create a chat group via the visual interface on the screen. The feature will support up to 32 people on Duo and a maximum of 100 on Meet. You can also use to connect to  Google Assistant smart cameras  to see who’s at the door or keep an eye on the children, all while cooking, doing the dishes or catching up on other jobs. Just start with a simple “Hey Google” to ask for what you need.

The Lenovo Smart Display’s clean, organic design not only blends into your home but adds a modern touch. Available in natural white 7” or bamboo 10”, it matches most wooden, glass or granite workbenches designed to blend seamlessly into your home.  When not in use, the Smart Display doubles as a digital picture frame – showcasing beautiful pictures from a personally selected album in your Google Photos, or beautiful images curated by Google.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is your bedroom’s new best friend, supporting voice and touch control on a subtle 4-inch IPS screen. With its compact size, it will fit perfectly on a nightstand and blend into your bedroom décor, with a full fabric soft-touch cover. With a full-size USB port for convenient phone charging, there is one less thing to worry about on the bedside table.

The Lenovo Smart Clock is optimised to help users develop healthier sleep habits – serving as the ultimate bedroom companion to cut down on disruptive screen time throughout the evening, helping improve your sleep hygiene.

The Google Assistant makes it easier to set up sleep routines, such as dimming the lights and displaying calendar events with just a single command, such as “Hey Google, Good Night.”

Lenovo has paid extra attention to speaker quality in the Lenovo Smart Clock. Packing a full-range 6W speaker and two passive radiators that can fill up a large bedroom, it is tuned with the latest background noise reduction technology for enhanced radio listening.  For a wind down before sleep, users can ask the Google Assistant to play some relaxing music or guided meditation.

With multi-room functionality, users can also add the Lenovo Smart Clock to a home speaker group and play music, audiobooks, podcasts and radio across multiple devices in several rooms. The Lenovo Smart Clock also works with Chromecast, so users can stream shows and music on their TV or speakers with just the command of their voice.

Further, the Lenovo Smart Clock can be programmed to complement a user’s wake and sleep cycles, while offering visually assisted experiences when needed them the most. This all starts with a simple “Hey Google.” Awakening to the Lenovo Smart Clock is designed to be as pleasant and refreshing as possible with the Google Assistant’s gentle wake-up routine.

What’s more, users can now have another convenient and affordable hub from which to control their home. By connecting the Lenovo Smart Clock to other compatible smart home devices, routines can be established to make home life seamless. To support this, the Lenovo Smart Clock connects seamlessly with every smart device in your home, supporting over 10,000 products and 1,000 partners and brands.

Lenovo Smart Home Essentials offer new users the ultimate starter pack for a smart home that is both easy to set up and flexible. They are plug & play smart products, controlled by a single Lenovo Link app, or by a user’s voice when connected to smart speakers – compatible with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa platforms.

The Smart Home Essentials range includes the Lenovo Smart Lighting, Smart Security Cameras and Smart Automation accessories.

Lenovo Smart Lightingrange illuminates another component of the immersive smart home experience. With a range of Smart Bulbs and LED lightstrips to set the mood in your home with adjustable colour temperature and brightness, users have the ability to manage multiple lights simultaneously and set customisable modes for different occasions.

Lenovo Smart Automation accessories include the Lenovo Smart Plug and Smart IR Controller. Any device connected to the Lenovo Smart Plug now has an easy-to-reach power button as you can turn it on and off remotely via Lenovo’s Link Pro App. The Smart Plug also allows users the ability to set routines around devices they have connected via a smart plug. The Smart IR Controller acts as a universal voice controlled remote to smartify your home appliances like air conditioners, TV, audio devices.

Lenovo Smart Securityrange includes Smart Indoor Cameras with HD resolution, wide field of view (FOV) which offers remote directional and zoom control with two-way audio capability and a motion detection IR sensor. These Smart Cameras can be controlled remotely by the Lenovo Link Pro App or by compatible Smart Displays.

Together, these devices are your one-stop-shop to a smarter home and setting up automation between them allows users to create unique behaviours that make life smarter.

The Lenovo Smart Home range will launch in New Zealand in July 2020.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Lenovo brings its smart home family to NZ appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

‘Hey Google, play my greatest hits’.

JBL have been in the personal audio space since ages ago. Decades upon decades they have been synonymous with high end acoustics, vibrating bass and detailed cinema experiences.

Over the last few years JBL have released a slew of bluetooth enabled speakers for your home and outdoors.

This year sees a new range, including the just received by us, JBL Link Music.

Roughly about the size of a sports ball measuring 5.3 by 4.4 inches the JBL Link Music is a wireless speaker that will connect via WiFi and/or bluetooth.

Apple Airplay compatible the Link Music comes with Google Chromecast and Google Assistant built in.

The oblong shaped speaker gives off a full 360 degree and can really belt out a tune. Small but mighty loud.

Whether you are an Apple user or Android, pair the Link Music with your phone via your home’s wireless network to take control of your audio streaming, or if you have your A.I. Assistant all setup with your Spotify a simple voice command is enough to get yourself rocking.

I tried both iOS and Android aswell as using Google Assistant on it’s own.

Apple Airplay was easy enough but at times via bluetooth the iPhone or iPad would not see the speaker – and when it did would occasionally report that the JBL Link Music was ‘not compatible’.

Android, no worries. It would see the Link Music instantly and connect. Boom done.

The JBL Link Music is more than just another wireless speaker. With Google Assistant and the Google Home app you can get information in an instant using voice. If you have other IoT devices in your smart home setup control these via the speaker aswell.

The JBL Link Music is not a portable speaker.

It is required to be plugged in to the mains and it also lacks any onboard audio controls – other than volume and instant Google Assistant soft buttons at the device’s top surface and mic mute frustratingly placed near the power socket.

Still, for the lower price factor the JBL Link Music is more than enough for one’s lounge, room or home office.

Given it’s mega volume range via it’s a single 20-watt driver and small footprint the Link Music can be hidden on a shelf, desk or table without being an eyesore.

I would’ve like to see it being a portable unit, using Google on the go paired with your phone, but otherwise the JBL Link Music is a smart speaker that’s worthy of owning.

The post JBL Link Music Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Our homes just got a little smarter with JBL.

A couple of years back Harmon Kardon who owns JBL released a set of in home bluetooth speakers with Alexa built-in.

Placing a virtual assistant within a powerful all in one entertainment sound system seemed like a good idea – and it was, except you needed to have an additional ‘HK App’ in order to set it up and even if you had additional Alexa units in your home, these did not integrate and were always a lone wolf.

So with the JBL Link View Google Assistant has replaced Alexa and it was the right choice.

No longer do you need to download Apps and fiddle about, Google is everywhere and even more so if you use an Android smartphone.

The JBL Link View is a football shaped indoor bluetooth speaker with an 8 inch center touch screen.

Giving you the entire functionality of Google this includes your daily reminders, calendar and YouTube which at voice command, touch screen or remotely using your smartphone you can start watching YouTube clips.

Place the JBL Link View in the kitchen and pull up video recipes, place it in your shed or on your workbench for video tips on how to built that neighbour impressing atrium in your backyard.

The JBL View Link will connect with your Spotify account and of course Google Music. Video calling via Google is also possible via the builtin front facing camera – which has a slider to hide the lens.

Setup from the box was simple enough. I liken it to setting up a new Android phone – go through a few Google related settings which will include your Google login info and connect to your home Wi-Fi. After a brief tutorial you’re good to go. Connect exterior bluetooth devices via the dedicated bluetooth button at the rear of the device.

The uses for the JBL Link View are almost endless and if you have other smart gear in your home, a quick set up and Google can sort all of that out too.

Soundwise, the JBL Link View is LOUD even at half volume. It has dual Harmon Kardon speakers and enough rich bass to please most.

The Link View is water resistant – but not waterproof and needs power from mains, so you cannot take this out and about. It is also larger than one would expect and prominent on any desk, shelf or table requiring a sizable footprint.

If you already have a few Alexa’s in your home but are a Android / Google user the JBL Link View is your one stop device and while it will not integrate with Alexa I found it easier to use and set up routines and voice commands to control other smart stuff in my home than with Alexa.

If you haven’t jumped on the smart home bandwagon just yet the JBL Link View could be the in-home device that you’ve been waiting for.

The post JBL Link View Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Signify is extending the Philips Hue outdoor collection with a new range of smart wall lights, pathway lights and low-voltage fixtures to bring any outdoor space to life with mood settings for any occasion.

The new range has 16 million colours and 50,000 shades of warm-to-cool white light for effortless personalisation.

The highlight of the range includes uplights and downlights that create strong and unique directional light effects and are new to the Philips Hue family.

The Hue Outdoor extension range also offers low-voltage lighting solutions, providing outdoor lighting that requires minimal installation effort and high energy savings.

Commenting on the new release, Duane Shore, Channel Marketing Manager for the Pacific, said, “The Hue Outdoor range allows you to discover the magic of using colour to completely transform your garden or entertainment spaces. With the cooler months approaching, this new range can transform your outdoor areas into a warm space for entertaining or relaxing.”

All new products connect to the existing Hue ecosystem, meaning renovators, DIYers or smart lighting enthusiasts can now enjoy the endless possibilities on offer of bringing your outdoors to life with light.

The new Philips Hue Outdoor range allows you to experience the comfort of your outdoor lights turning on automatically as you arrive home, and off as you leave. By simply setting your Hue app to the Home or Away mode, the outdoor lighting system will adjust to your movements. The geolocation feature on the app can also be used so that your lights turn on or off based on your proximity to your home, giving you peace of mind and an added sense of safety.

By using the pre-set light recipes built into the Philips Hue mobile app, users can select to have their lights mimic their presence at home adding another level of safety, as a deterrent to thieves during the longer nights of the winter months.

Your smart outdoor lights become even smarter when you connect your Philips Hue Outdoor lighting system to a smart home assistant. With this feature, you can transform any outdoor space to suit the ambiance and mood all with the ease and convenience of managing your lights all with your voice. Once linked to your smart home assistant, the Hue Outdoor lighting will listen to your voice commands and react in real time.

The Philips Hue system works with all the popular home voice assistant systems including Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, Samsung SmartThings and Apple’s Siri among others.

With the Philips Hue lighting schedule feature, you’ll never again worry whether you’ve left your lights on. The Hue app allows you to set scheduled timers for your lighting system based on your daily routines and requirements. Now, you can enjoy longer evenings outside or have the lights turn on automatically as your loved ones arrive home.

The post Signify launches voice-activated outdoor lighting appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Bang & Olufsen is honouring one of the world’s greatest cities with the release of the Beosound 1 New York Edition, a portable wireless speaker that combines precision craftsmanship and minimalist design. This limited-edition speaker features a unique and beautiful graduation in colour—from piano black to natural aluminium—which is intended to capture the ascendant energy of the iconic New York City skyline.

The patent-pending process used to create this colour gradient is unique to the Beosound 1 New York Edition, and demonstrates the unparalleled capabilities of Bang & Olufsen’s aluminium factory, which has sat at the forefront of aluminium technology for more than half a century. The extruded aluminium parts are milled, polished, and anodised—an electrochemical treatment that forms a durable oxide on the surface of the material. The parts then undergo a second round of mechanical processing, during which Bang & Olufsen’s surface specialists carefully create a smooth gradient effect on the aluminium.

Due to the labour-intensive nature of this process of creating the gradient surface, only 1,200 pieces of the Beosound 1 New York Edition will be produced.

Beosound 1 is a portable wireless speaker system featuring a sophisticated 360-degree dispersion of sound. Its distinctive design is characterised by a conical aluminium body, which hovers slightly above the surface allowing the bass notes to emanate from beneath. The opening at the top of the speaker houses an acoustic lens—a hallmark of Bang & Olufsen—which creates an evenly distributed spherical sound profile. It comes with the Google Assistant built in, and to make sure that the speaker can hear commands through the wall of sound coming from the drivers, Bang & Olufsen’s sound engineers have built advanced acoustic echo-cancelling technology and five microphones into the aluminium structure, which constantly analyse which sounds are coming from the speaker and which are commands from the user.

Beosound 1 is compatible with the leading wireless streaming technologies—including Google Chromecast, Apple Airplay 2, and Bluetooth—and it can function as a stand-alone speaker or be integrated into a multiroom system. It contains a built-in rechargeable battery with up to 12 hours of playback time.   

Beosound 1 New York Edition (RRP $2,750 AUD) will be available in limited quantities at Bang & Olufsen stores and online from September 2019.  A docking station that allows you to pick up and move the product around with greater ease is available as an accessory to Beosound 1 New York Edition, and we will advise you when pricing comes available.

The post Bang & Olufsen Honour NYC appeared first on Shane the Gamer.